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West Windsor, NJ --  A pair of long time NEC tennis powers came to play on Championship Sunday.

On a sun drenched day at the Mercer County Tennis Center in West Windsor, NJ, top-seeded LIU became the fourth team in league history to win four straight women's titles courtesy of a 4-1 triumph over second-seeded Bryant. On the men's side, in a match that lived up to the hype and then some, top-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson edged second-seeded St. Francis Brooklyn, 4-3, in an instant classic to the win the program's 13th NEC crown, the most in conference annals.

The championship event, for the 20th straight year, was contested at the award winning Mercer facility.

LIU joined Mount St. Mary’s (1989-95), UMBC (1998-03) and Quinnipiac (2004-08) as the only women’s tennis programs to win four or more consecutive conference crowns. In winning the program's sixth NEC title (2009, 2010 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021), the Sharks are now tied for the second-most in league history with Quinnipiac and FDU.

Bryant got off to a fast start, winning the doubles point to put the pressure on the three-time defending champs entering singles play.

LIU evened things up, however, in quick fashion as Kate Jorjoliani (Tbilsi, Georgia/Jejili) registered a 6-3, 6-2 win at #6 singles. Valentina Dancenco (Chisinau, Moldova) and Victoria Erechtchenko (Augsburg, Germany/Gymnasium Koenigsbrunn), followed in quick succession with victories to put the Sharks on the brink of clinching. Dancenco won, 6-0, 7-5, at #2 and Erechtchenko posted a 6-2, 6-2 decision in #3 flight play.

In the end, it was LIU's top player who secured the decisive point.

Sofiya Kuzina (Moscow, Russia/School 90), competing at the #1 flight, held off Bryant's Ada Boru, 6-3, 7-5, to set off the celebration and send the Sharks to the postseason for the fourth straight year.
 
LIU will head into the NCAA Tournament with a perfect 9-0 dual match record.

Kuzina was named NEC Tournament MVP and to the All-Tournament team along with teammates  Dancenco and Erechtchenko. Bryant's Arianna Oropeza (Weston, FL/Cypress Bay) and Leanne Kendall (Lakeville, MA/ Apponequet Regional) were tabbed to the team, along with FDU's Smriti Singh (Pathways World School/Gurgaon, India) and the Mount's Shirley Liang (East Gwillimbury, Ontario/Blyth Academy).

On the men's side, Fairleigh Dickinson returned to the top of the NEC ladder for the first time since 2013, ending Bryant's unprecedented (during the team scoring era that began in 1999) six-year run as NEC champion. To get there, FDU had to fend off a hungry St. Francis Brooklyn team playing in its first-ever NEC final.

After the Knights took the doubles point, the two teams split matches with FDU's Medhi Dhouib (Larchmont, NY/Iona Prep) winning 7-6 (5), 6-1 at #2 singles and SFBK's Gleb Mityurin (UFA, Russia/Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution) taking a 6-4, 6-4 decision at #3 singles.

The remaining four matches all went to three sets, a first in tournament history.

Trailing 2-1, the Terriers stormed back to win the next two matches behind the efforts of Lars Schneider (Bad Homburg, Hessen, Germany/Kaiserin Friedrich Gymnasium), who won 7-4, 2-6, 6-3 at #4 singles, and Luis Foix Sotos (Java, Spain/Xabia International College), a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 winner at #5 singles.

Needing to win both remaining matches, FDU took the first step when Teodors Pukse (Riga, Latvia) outlasted SFBK's Gustavo Pinho (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Colégio Ateneu), 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

With all eyes focused on the #6 flight match, it was FDU's Youssef Sader (Kenitra, Morocco/Lycee Descartes), who played the role of hero, rallying from a set down to clip Dennis Sanchez (Alicante, Spain/Colegio Medico Pedro Herrero), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3, and make it a day to remember for the Knights.

Pukse, who won both of his singles matches this weekend, was named the NEC Tournament MVP. Pukse was joined on the All-Tournament team by teammates Dhouib and Sader. SFBK was represented on the All-Tournament team by Mityurin and Pinho. Also named to the team were Mount St. Mary’s Parth Sharma (Torrance, CA/West) and Sacred Heart's William Wibmer (Maldonado, Uruguay/St. Joseph Mary College).

The FDU men and LIU women will once again go on to represent the NEC in the upcoming NCAA Tennis Championships in mid-May.


2021 Northeast Conference Tennis Championships
at Mercer County Tennis Center
West Windsor, NJ

Friday, April 16

Men’s First Round
#2 St. Francis Brooklyn def. #7 Wagner, 4-0
#3 Sacred Heart def, #6 Bryant, 4-0
#4 Mount St. Mary's def, #5 Saint Francis U, 4-0

* #1 Fairleigh Dickinson received bye

Women’s First Round
#6 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #3 Sacred Heart, 4-3
#4 Mount St. Mary's def. #5 Wagner, 4-3

* #1 LIU & #2 Bryant received bye

Saturday, April 17

Men’s Semifinal Matches - 10:00 am
#1 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #4 Mount St. Mary's, 4-0
#2 St. Francis Brooklyn def. #3 Sacred Heart, 4-0

Women’s Semifinal Matches - Not before 12:30 pm
#1 LIU def. #4 Mount St. Mary's, 4-0
#2 Bryant def. #6 Fairleigh Dickinson, 4-1

Sunday, April 18

Men’s Championship Match - 10:00 am
#1 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #2 St. Francis Brooklyn, 4-3

Women’s Championship Match - 1:00 pm
#1 LIU def. #2 Bryant, 4-1